Process for obtaining weight reduction



United States Patent ice 3,134,716 PRQCESS FER OBTAINING WEIGHT REDUCTION Brooke D. Asper ren, Kalamazoo, and Richard V. Heinzelman, Kalamazoo Township, Kalamazoo County, Mich, assignors to The Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, Mich, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Filed June 11, 1962, ger. No. 201,331

1 Claim. (Cl. 167-55) This invention relates to a process for treatment, and more particularly to compositions of a 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine as an essential active ingredient and a process for producing a weight loss in obese humans.

The therapeutic compositions of the present invention comprise a 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine as an essential active ingredient in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier. The administration of the compositions of the present invention to humans provides a method of obtaining weight loss in obese humans.

The therapeutic ingredient, 1(l,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine, of the present invention is a tertiary amine and can exist as the free base and can form an acid addition salt with an acid. The free base can be represented by the following formula:

Both the free base and the acid addition salts are active. To avoid toxicity the salts of pharmacologically acceptable acids are used. Suitable salts include the hydrochloride, sulfate, phosphate, nitrate, citrate, acetate, lactate, succinate and the like. Insoluble salts that are useful include the alginate, pamoate, carboxymethylcellulose and the like. The compounds can be prepared by met ods disclosed in I. Am. Chem. Soc. 75 3409 (1953).

The compositions of the present invention are preferably presented for administration in unit dosage form as tablets, pills, capsules, powders, granules, oral solutions or suspensions and the like. For preparing solid compositions such as tablets, the principal active ingredient is mixed with conventional tableting ingredients such as corn starch, lactose, sucrose, sorbitol, talc, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, dicalcium phosphate, gums, and functionally similar materials as pharmaceutical diluents or carriers. The tablets or pills of the novel compositions can be laminated or otherwise compounded to provide a dosage form affording the advantage of prolonged or delayed action or predetermined successive action of the enclosed medication. For example, the tablet or pill can comprise an inner dosage and an outer dosage component, the latter being in the form of an envelope over the former. The two components can be separated by an enteric layer which serves to resist disintegration in the stomach and permits the inner component to pass intact into the duodenum or to be delayed in release, A variety of materials can be used for such enteric layers or coatings, such materials including a number of polymeric acids or mixtures of polymeric acids with such materials as shellac, shellac and cetyl alcohol, cellulose acetate, and the like. A particularly advantageous enteric coating comprises a styrene maleic acid copolymer together with known materials contributing to the enteric properties of the coating.

The liquid forms in which the novel composition of the present invention may be incorporated for administration include aqueous solutions, suitably flavored syrups, aqueous or oil suspensions, flavored emulsions with edible oils 3,134,716 Patented May 26, 1964 such as cottonseed oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, peanut oil and the like, as well as elixirs and similar pharmaceutical vehicles. Suitable dispersing or suspending agents for aqueous suspensions include synthetic and natural gums such as tragacanth, acacia, alginate, dextran, methylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, gelatin and the like.

The term unit dosage form as used in the specification and claims refers to physically discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for human and animal subjects, each unit containing a predetermined quantity of active material calculated to produce the desired therapeutic effect in association with the required pharmaceutical diluent, carrier or vehicle. The specifications for the novel unit dosage forms of this invention are dictated by and are directly dependent on (a) the unique characteristics of the active material and the particular therapeutic effect to be achieved, and (b) the limitations inherent in the art of compounding such an active material for therapeutic use in humans, as disclosed in detail in this specification, these being features of the present invention. Examples of suitable oral unit dosage forms in accord with this invention are tablets, capsules, pills, powder packets, granules, Wafers, cachets, teaspoonfuls, dropperfuls, segregated multiples of any of the foregoing, and other forms as herein described.

In addition to the administration of 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine as the principal active ingredient of compositions for the treatment of obesity, the said compound of the novel compositions can be included with other types of compounds to obtain advantageous combinations of properties. Such combinations include 1(1,2- diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine together with anorexigenics such as d-amphetamine, benzphetamine, methamphetamine, and the like; sedatives such as barbital, phenobarbital, pentobarbital, mephobarbital, amobarbital, secobarbital, hexobarbital, and the like; ataractics such as pro chlorperazine, rneprobamate, chlorprornazine, promazine, azacyclonol, phenaglycodol, and the like; bulking agents such as methylcellulose; and vitamins.

The dosage of l(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine for treatment depends on the route of administration, age, weight, and condition of the patient. A total daily dose of from about 5 to about 500 mg. given singly or in divided doses, 1 to 5 times daily, embraces the elfective range for the treatment of most conditions for which said compound is effective. The 1(l,2-diphenylethyl) pyrrolidine is compounded with a suitable pharmaceutical carrier in unit dosage form for convenient and effective administration; in the preferred embodiment of this invention, the solid unit dosage forms contain 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine in amounts from about 50 to 300 mg.

per unit; the fluid forms contain from about 0.1% to about 20% of 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine. The dosage of compositions containing 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine and one or more other active ingredients is to be determined with reference to the usual dosage of each such ingredient.

The following examples are illustrative of the compositions and process of the present invention, but are not to be construed as limiting.

EXAMPLE 1 Tablets One thousand tablets, each containing 5 mg. of

Talc 10 The finely powdered ingredients are mixed thoroughly and then tableted by a slugging procedure.

Tablets so prepared are useful in the treatment of obesity in adults at a dose of 1 tablet taken 30 minutes before meals.

Following the above procedure, tablets each containing 200 and 300 mg. of l(l,Z-diphcnylethyl)pyrrolidine are prepared by increasing the amount of 1(1,2-diphenylethyl) pyrrolidine to 200 and 300 gm.

EXAMPLE 2 Tablets To prepare 1000 scored tablets, 500 gr. of talc is added to 100 gr. of calcium stearate, and the resulting mixture is slugged together with 150 gm. of l(l,2-diphenylethyl)- pyrrolidine sulfate and gm. of d-amphetamine sulfate. The slugs are reduced to granules through a 14-mesh screen. A lactose granulation is prepared from 2400 gr. of lactose, 50 gr. of starch and 50 gr. of sucrose, the latter two constituting the granulating paste. The 1(l,2 diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine and lactose granulations are mixed, 250 gr. of talc and 100 gr. of calcium stearate are added, and the resulting mixture is compressed into tablets, each tablet containing:

1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine sulfate mg 150 d-Amphetamine sulfate mg 5 Calcium stearate gr 0.2 Talc gr 0.75 Lactose gr 2.4 Starch gr 0.05 Sucrose gr 0.05

The tablets so prepared are useful in the treatment of obesity in adult humans at a dosage of half to 1 tablet 3 times a day, taken 30 minutes before meals.

Tablets can be similarly prepared containing anorexigenic drugs other than d-amphetamine. For example, tablets are similarly prepared following the above procedure and substituting for the d-amphetamine one of the following: phenmetrazine hydrochloride, 15 mg; and benzphetamine hydrochloride, 15 mg.

EXAMPLE 3 Tablets One thousand scored tablets, each containing 100 mg. of lr1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine hydrochloride and 32 mg. of amobarbital, are prepared from the following types and amounts of ingredients:

Gm. 1 1,2-diphenylethyl) pyrrolidine hydrochloride 100 Amobarbital 32 Lactose 5O Starch 50 Calcium stearate Talc 10 The finely powdered ingredients are mixed thoroughly and then tableted by a slugging procedure.

The tablets so prepared are useful in the treatment of obesity at a dose of half to 1 tablet 1 or 2 times daily.

Tablets can be similarly prepared containing barbiturates other than amobarbital. For example, tablets are similarly prepared following the above procedure and substituting for the amobarbital one of the following: phenobarbital, 32 gm.; aprobarbital, 32 gm.; pentobarbital, 32 gm.; and mephobarbital, 32 gm.

EXAMPLE 4 Hard-Gelatin Capsules One thousand two-piece hard gelatin capsules, each containing 50 mg. of 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine hydrochloride and 25 mg. of hydroxyzine hydrochloride are prepared from the following types and amounts of ingredients:

Gm. 1 (l,Z-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine hydrochloride 50 Hydroxyzine hydrochloride 25 Lactose 75 Magnesium stearate 25 Talc 25 The finely powdered ingredients are mixed thoroughly and then encapsulated in the usual manner.

The capsules so prepared are useful in the treatment of obesity at a dosage of 1 capsule 3 times daily taken 30 minutes before meals.

Capsules can be similarly prepared containing ataractics other than hydroxyzine. For example, capsules are similarly prepared following the above procedure and substituting for the hydroxyzine one of the following: prochlorperazine dimaleate, 10 gm.; meprobamate, 200 gm.; chlorpromazine hydrochloride, 25 gm.; promazine hydrochloride, 25 gm.; azacyclonol hydrochloride, 20 gm.; phenaglycodol, 200 gm.; and chlordiazcpoxide hydrochloride 10 gm.

EXAMPLE 5 Hard-Gelatin Capsules One thousand two-piece hard gelatin capsules, each containing mg. of l(1,Z-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine alginate are prepared from the following types and amounts of ingredients:

Gm. 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine alginate 100 Corn starch 75 Magnesium stearate, powder 25 Talc 25 The finely powdered ingredients are mixed thoroughly and then encapsulated in the usual manner.

The capsules so prepared are useful in the treatment of obesity at a dosage of 1 capsule taken 30 minutes before meals.

EXAMPLE 6 Hard-Gelatin Capsules (500 Mg.)

One thousand two-piece hard gelatin capsules for oral use, each containing 500 mg. of 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)- pyrrolidine carboxymethylcellulose are prepared from the following types and amounts of ingredients:

l 1 ,Z-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine carboxymethylcellulose 500 Corn starch 250 Magnesium stearate, powder 50 Talc 50 The finely powdered ingredients are mixed thoroughly and then encapsulated in the usual manner.

The capsules so prepared are useful in the treatment of obesity in adult humans at a dosage of 1 capsule every morning.

EXAMPLE 7 Soft-Gelatin Capsules One-piece soft gelatin capsules for oral use, each containing 250 mg. of 1(l,Z-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine, are prepared by first dispersing the compound in an equal volume of corn oil to render the material capsulatable and then encapsulating in the usual manner.

The capsules so prepared are useful in the treatment of obesity at a dosage of 1 capsule every morning.

EXAMPLE 8 Syrup (Sugar Free) A sugar-free syrup for oral administration containing 50 mg. of 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine hydrochloride in each 5 cc. is prepared from the following types and amounts of ingredients:

1 1,2-diphenylethyl) pyrrolidinehydrochloride gm 10 Ascorbic acid gm 10 Methylparaben gm 0.75 Propylparabcn gm 0.25 Saccharin sodium gm 1.25 Cyclamate sodium gm 0.25 Glycerin ml 300 Tragacanth powder gm 1 Orange oil flavor gm 5 RD. and C. orange dye gm 0.75

Deionized water, q.s. ad. 1000 cc.

The ingredients are dissolved in sufiicient water to make 1000 cc. of syrup.

The syrup as prepared is useful in the treatment of obesity at a dose of 1 or 2 teasponfuls taken 30 minutes before meals.

What is claimed is:

A process for treating obesity comprising the administration to an obese human, in unit dosage form, of from about 5 to about 500 mg. of a member selected from the group consisting of 1(1,2-diphenylethyl)pyrrolidine and its pharmacologically acceptable acid addition salts in as- 10 sociation with a pharmaceutical carrier.

References Cited in the file of this patent Heinzelrnan: J.A.C.S., vol. 75, July 20, 1953, pages 

